


I saw you in my dreams again.

by coffeecrow



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Blood, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, implied gore, shuichi is going through sad boi hour, they share an appartment and have four cats, they're older
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-08 09:16:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16426610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeecrow/pseuds/coffeecrow
Summary: some mild post-nightmare panic is written in this story, but wasn't severe enough to tag as a panic attack. Sensitive readers bewareAlso please go send lots of love to my beta reader @Ghostlyfield_ (twt) // ghostlyfield (tumblr)





	I saw you in my dreams again.

**Author's Note:**

> some mild post-nightmare panic is written in this story, but wasn't severe enough to tag as a panic attack. Sensitive readers beware
> 
> Also please go send lots of love to my beta reader @Ghostlyfield_ (twt) // ghostlyfield (tumblr)

One of the few problems with having four cats, minus all the hair, was that when a particularly bad week ate at Shuichi's head, he couldn't do much for peace and quiet.

"Sorry, Joker!" He cried out as the black cat below him let out a loud meow of surprise as the detective just barely stopped himself from tripping over him. The yellow eyes of the tom had an accusing shine to them, as if that had all been Shuichi's fault entirely. Not like Joker had been the one to rush out in front of him in the first place, nuh-uh.

"What's going on, Shumai?" Kokichi's voice echoed from the living room, and he heard the sound of feet hitting a wooden floor, and the pitter patter of careful steps. Very similar to that of a cat, actually. At the approach of his 'favourite human,' Joker turned around and let out a chirp.

"Not much..." Shuichi replied, beginning to unbutton his black coat. He didn't get very far, however. Instead, Kokichi smoothly slid forward and tugged at the detective's hands. Warm... Shuichi blinked. Usually, his boyfriend's hands were ice cold and he'd always stick them down his shirt. Just as he began to bask in the heat of the grip, it slid away and Kokichi began to unbutton the rest of his coat before pulling it off of him.

As Kokichi sauntered away to hang the coat up, Shuichi finally released the sigh that had been brewing inside him. It was long, heavy, and he could feel the weight lifting from his shoulders as he finally got it out. But almost immediately, that pressure returned, and his stomach tied itself together. It was hard to keep his eyes open at this point, and his limbs barely moved as he pushed himself forward.

He really needed to lie down.

Despite the heavy impact on his stomach as he 'fwomped' right onto the couch, Shuichi could barely bother to wince at the slight pain, and instead turned around where he was laying so that he could stare at the TV. Slowly, he reached for the remote and switched it on.

'The crime channel.' They called it, instead of the actual number.

_Ugh._

Shuichi was finally pleased once he was watching a documentary about whales, and curled himself halfway into a fetal position as Kokichi appeared above him.

"Do you want me to heat any leftovers?" Kokichi asked, tilting his head.

"Mmph... no." Shuichi grunted as he rubbed his eyes. Was he hungry? He wasn't sure; a huge wall of sickness in his belly seemed to block out anything else he could be feeling regarding sustenance at the moment.

Kokichi didn't reply, and instead moved around the couch. Shuichi blinked as he felt his boyfriend wriggle over and nestle himself in his arms. He considered saying something, but decided not to. Instead, he placed his hand over Kokichi's chest and pressed his nose into his hair. It was cold, thick and still held some trace of moisture. The sweet smell of Kokichi's shampoo revealed that he must've showered about an hour or so before Shuichi got home.

Shuichi found himself glad that the boy wasn't making conversation as he usually did. He really didn't have the energy to come up with any nuanced replies, yet the presence of Kokichi in his arms did enough to still him. This way he didn't have to feel guilty for not engaging with him, either. He ran his finger gently over Kokichi's cheek as he turned his attention back to the documentary.

A large blue whale breached the surface on the TV, making a loud popping noise and he sound of claws scraping against wooden floor was heard. The noise must've startled Knife, as the tom came to lie down at the bottom of the couch where Kokichi could pet him. His soft purring noise reached Shuichi's ears, and he let out another long sigh.

_"You can go to the bathroom if you need to, it's quite the gruesome scene, after all." The lead police had told him as he escaped the site. It was just a suspected fraud case at first, how did it turn to him opening a door to see... sitting in that chair, looking right at him..._

"Hh- Hey, you're killin' me here." Kokichi winced.

Realising that he had been squeezing him rather hard, Shuichi quickly let go. "Oh, sorry." He muttered, pushing himself off of Kokichi and sitting up. Moments turned into minutes as he stared at the wall, trying and failing to get the image out of his mind- the world seemed to be spinning at the thought that somebody had actually done that to another human being, and probably more horrible things he couldn't stand to think of at the moment.

"Going to bed, then?" He heard Kokichi yell behind him.

"Mm." Shuichi mustered out, stumbling into the bathroom. May as well brush his teeth if he wasn't going to have any dinner, he mused. Shichi, pale white, fluffy and deaf, greeted him with a shrill meow before going back to sleep on the bathroom mat.

Once that was done, he walked into their shared room with soft footsteps. Ocha was lying on his side of the bed, curled up where he usually had his feet.

"Hey, mind moving?" He asked her softly with a weak smile on his face as he ran a pale hand through her brown fur. She let out a chirp and looked up at him with those beautiful green eyes. Shuichi huffed and picked her up, moving her over to Kokichi's side for the moment. She didn't complain, and merely went back to sleeping.

The detective threw his clothes onto the floor and crept under the covers. Only then did he realise he'd forgotten to draw the blinds over the window.

 _Oh well._ The sun was going down, and Kokichi would probably get it before going to bed.

Shuichi turned around and met Ocha's eyes. She stared at him for a bit before getting up and padding over to him, curling up by his chest and letting out a soft purr, as if she could tell what he was feeling.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax at the gentle sound. Slowly, he drifted off into sleep.

_To his right, there was the sound of police radio crackle, and to his left were shouting voices. But when Shuichi looked, he saw nobody._

_A long, dark corridor stretched out in front of him. A lone light sat at the end of it, flickering. On. Off. On. Off. Beneath it was a door. It was the only door in the corridor. It beckoned at him, but a thick aura of darkness seemed to ooze from it, causing him to freeze up. A cold wind blew over his legs from the back, attempting to draw him towards it. But he took a step back. His back hit a dense wall and-_

_Splish._

_His shoe landed in something wet, and he looked down to see bright red penetrating the darkness, glowing up at him as if there were several lamps inside of the liquid. A disgusting, sickening smell penetrated his nostrils. His gaze followed the trail... and it lead to the door. The very same door._

_On. Off. On. Off._

_"Detective Saihara, they've found him!"_

_The police chief's voice caused his legs to spurr into action. Shuichi began to stumble towards the door, but every step felt like he had titanium weights chained to his ankles as he was wading through a thick swamp, but he kept going. The rhythmical splashes beneath him became louder and louder as he got closer to the flicking light._

_On. Off. On. Off._

_His hand was on the doorknob._

_The door violently swung open at his touch, and revealed a man in a suit... sitting on a chair. He was tied up with rusted chains twirling like thornbushes around him. Well, maybe not a man, but half of a man. One who lacked the fundamentals to even be called a man anymore. What man was unable to walk? Unable to grab things? Unable to see? His stomach was exposed, and grinning up at him._

_It wasn't until his attention fell on the wine-like lake on the checkerboard floor that Shuichi realised that he recognised this man, this boy, this half-man, sitting in the chair. A silent scream echoed from him as he rushed up to the seat, running his finger against greasy skin and trying to make eye-contact with the once-man._

**_And Kokichi smiled._ **

"Gh-!" Shuichi's eyes shot wide open and he was met with nothing but darkness. His naked torso sat upright, and his arms were crossed over his chest, grabbing at his shoulders.

He tried to open his mouth to suck air in, but a large shiver passed through his body, causing him to begin to rattle violently. Shuichi had to squint as salty droplets of sweat almost made their way into his eyes, but he was too preoccupied to wipe it away.

His breathing had turning into nothing but frantic gasps with little room in-between. The moment an ounce of oxygen escaped him he immediately inhaled loudly. In. Out. In. Out. In- in- in-

 _Oh, oh God. Kokichi!?_ Shuichi twisted around, looking around to see where his boyfriend could've gone frantically, his hands by now squeezing the soft texture below him. His breath caught in his throat as he recognised the silhouette lying down next to him.

Whatever relief he felt in the moment was destroyed by the sudden gasp that seemed to take over his body in one huge twitch. Shuichi lunged forward, pulling away the cocoon that Kokichi was nestling in until he could feel his skin beneath. Swiftly, he ran his trembling fingers against his body. _Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay-_

He jumped as he felt the skin bump near his back. Just the normal scars. He had always had them. _Always had them always had them always had them-_

Shuichi leaned further over him, feeling his heart beating out of his throat as he felt around Kokichi's chest. "You have to be okay, damn it." He croaked out.

A hand suddenly grabbed his and he heard a sleepy voice drawl out. "Gnn... Shumaaaaaii... no playing doctor now..."

 _He's alive! He's alive, he's alive-_ Shuichi put his hand over his mouth as yet another violent shiver ran through him. But this time it was one of relief he actually had the time to savor.

_**Click!** _

Light flooded into his eyes, and clarity began to shine through the fog in his brain. Kokichi sat halfway up, his purple locks messy over his eyes, those wonderful, purple eyes that he thought he would never get to see again-!

But what rendered Shuichi speechless most of all was Kokichi's expression. He looked... worried. Concerned. It quickly morphed into a neutral one as he reached out. Shuichi didn't wince at all as the hand touched his face, and he realised it himself. He brought his own finger to his other cheek, and then moved away at the stinging heat.

It was wet.

"Don't worry, your sleeping beauty's awake now!" Kokichi cheered, sitting up properly and resting a hand on his shoulder. Shuichi let out a shaky sigh that seemed to deflate him, and he leaned his head against the touch.

An eerie calmness began to seep into him. He was at home. He was safe. Kokichi was safe.

A loud sob shook him as he leaned against the headboard. _It's fine, it's fine, it's fine..._ He told himself over and over as he brought his hands up to his face to cover up the cascade of tears from Kokichi. _I keep telling you, it's fine... I'm fine... He's fine... We're fine... Everything's fine..._

He separated his fingers and stared at Kokichi through the gap. _He's still fine. It's fine._ He forced the thought in, swallowing bile that had began to build up.

As per usual, his boyfriend didn't let what he was thinking show. Shuichi wanted to let out a dry laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." He sniffed as his shoulders quaked.

A frown crossed the otherwise neutral expression of Kokichi, and he crawled forward until he was sitting up next to Shuichi against the headboard. Slowly and gently, he hooked his arm around Shuichi and pulled him down to pillow-level, drawing the covers over them both. Kokichi carefully touched his hand to Shuichi's chest and nestled himself close to him, facing him, so that Shuichi could stare right down into his face. His expression held none of the subtle mischief it usually had.

"I'm right here, my beloved Shuichi, and that's not a lie~" Kokichi said with a soft grin and pressed against him.

For the first time in the few minutes that had passed, Shuichi let out a stable breath. He curled his arms tightly around Kokichi and rested his nose in his messy hair. After what seemed like a while, his breath began to still, but the knot in his stomach refused to go away.

Kokichi looked up at him tiredly- his lids practically hanging over his face, but he was still awake, staring at Shuichi like a hawk.

"Thanks for coming with lunch today." Shuichi muttered from where his mouth was practically planted on Kokichi's forehead.

His boyfriend moved against him to show that he'd heard. "What happened?" Kokichi asked, a slight edge in his voice.

"The usual, detective stuff." Shuichi tensed up, causing Kokichi to lift his head a bit.

"You shouldn't lie to me, Shuichi. Not a wise move when you're shaking like a leaf, still."

Shuichi would also be lying if he said that he didn't see that coming. But what could he even say? What explanation could possibly make sense, what could justify him almost lifting Kokichi out of bed?

"That case- the fraud I talked about this Monday..." He began slowly. "...we recieved a call... yesterday evening... that they'd found the man we were searching for."

He felt Kokichi reaching for his hand, and answered by giving a squeeze in return. It stilled him, if only for the moment.

"..and he was in a hotel. He had been hiding out... there... in the room at the very end of the corridor..." Shuichi could already feel the blood draining from his face as he relived the moment, walking forward as policemen rushed past him with their guns drawn, only to find... only to find... "...dead."

"Dead?" Kokichi repeated quietly.

"Dead... strung up with dark chains to a chair... and there... there was blood everywhere... oh God-" Shuichi whimpered as another powerful wheeze of in- in- in- struck him.

"Deep breaths." Kokichi's voice sounded in his ear.

"Then I thought... what would I have done... if you were there... in that chair... instead." The words finally slipped out of him.

The covers rustled as Kokichi moved to rest on top of his stomach, laying so that he was staring straight into his eyes. "Silly Shuichi, I'd never die that easily! I wouldn't let anybody take me away from you."

A single 'hah' escape Shuichi, and he relaxed his head against the pillow.

"I spent the day with Rantaro today." Kokichi began suddenly. "We went out shopping and he told me I should try something other than my usual checkerboards for once! Can you believe it?"

"Totally outrageous." Shuichi mumbled back.

"Right? That guy doesn't know a thing about fashion!"

"That's not true."

"Hehe, yep, that's a lie." Kokichi grinned and drummed his fingers against Shuichi's cheeks. "Maybe Tsumugi will accept my style instead!"

"She threatened to throw all your clothes away if you showed up in 'that silly straightjacket' again." Shuichi reminded him with a giggle, watching as Kokichi's expression morphed into a sly grin.

"...Shit, you're right." The boy hissed, running a hand through Shuichi's hair.

Shuichi tilted his head as much as he could from where he was laying. "It **is** a pretty weird style, though."

"Aww, not you too!" Kokichi huffed. "At least Ocha appreciates them!"

"For sleeping."

A giggle escaped the two of them again. "Yeah, well... she has good taste. Like me." Kokichi shrugged and looked over at his side of the bed, where Ocha was still snoozing away despite the commotion.

"I'm surprised Joker hasn't come to wake me up yet." Shuichi mused, now that the topic had shifted to their cats. Usually the black bobtail would be yelling at him to get up at three in the morning and feed him.

"Hey, Joker's not stealing your attention away from me!" Kokichi replied and looked around dramatically from side to side, as if the cat could come meowing out of nowhere, at any moment. It looked kind of silly.

Shuichi smiled and raised a hand over his head, looking to his right where their window was. The sound of rain gently smacked against the glass, and a light was trickling in from the curtains... that...

"You didn't shut the curtains completely." Shuichi pointed out quietly.

"Well, it was nice to look out into the city, you know how it is!"

"You forgot." He said with an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Keep doing what you've been doing all this time, my dearest."

Shuichi let out a sigh to relieve the pressure in his chest. The two of them sank into a comfortable silence, staring at one another quietly as the rain tapped against the window and Ocha began to purr in her sleep. Their hands lay next to them, intertwined as they let each other's warmth bask against one another.

Kokichi suddenly rolled off of him, back into the position where he could nestle his nose in his hair, and cuddled close to his chest.

He wasn't going to say anything else? Shuichi wondered, running his finger over his exposed cheek. A light snoring began to emanate. So quickly? He must've been tired, and still...

"Hey Kokichi?" He whispered, unsure if the boy could hear him or not. "I just wanted to say... thank you."

Shuichi closed his eyes halfway when he noticed Kokichi was keeping one eye open, looking at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about~"


End file.
